It is conventional in the cultivator tool art to provide a "C"-shaped, spring steel shank having mounting bolt holes extending therethrough at its lower end. A sweep or shovel is bolted directly to the front of the shank at its lower end. A separate tubular seed boot is bolted to the rear of the shank. The seed boot is the end piece to which a seed tube is attached, for depositing seed into the furrow formed by the sweep.
It is also known to provide a rearwardly extending mounting bracket on the seed boot, to which a knife and tubular fertilizer boot assembly may be attached. A delivery tube can be attached to the fertilizer boot to deposit fertilizer or the like in the furrow opened by the knife.
It is further known to weld a spreader to the inner surface of the seed boot at its outlet, to disperse the seed in a desirable pattern.
This overall assembly is commonly referred to as "a double shoot opener".
There are problems associated with this assembly. More particularly:
the C-shaped shank is known for causing trash to climb its front edge and form cohesive lumps which are left on the ground and which later must be dispersed; PA1 the bolt holes in a C-shaped shank are located at the operating level where the sweep is working. As a result, the nut and bolt assembly attaching the sweep to the shank becomes worn due to contact with the soil. This makes it difficult to undo the nuts when changing out the sweeps. In most cases, the user has to cut off the nuts using a torch. When the many sweeps present on a cultivator are being changed out, this disassembly consumes considerable time and labor; PA1 as previously stated, the spreader is welded to the seed boot and thus cannot be easily changed to vary the seed drop pattern; PA1 multiple parts need to be kept in stock; and PA1 the prior art assemblies are not very sturdy. PA1 carry a ground opener (for example, a sweep) at its forward lower end; PA1 attach at its upper end to an edge-on shank; PA1 form a seed boot having a passageway for delivering seed; and PA1 preferably support a second opener, (for example, a knife), and a nutrient boot, for the delivery of fertilizer or the like, at its rear end. PA1 A front mounting bracket for bolting to the shank. The bracket has at least one transverse bolt hole through which a nut and bolt assembly may extend to attach the sweep. The bolt hole is located sufficiently high so that the nut and bolt assembly is isolated from significant contact with the erosive soil; PA1 A seed boot member integral with the front mounting bracket. The seed boot member is sufficiently sturdy so that a spreader can optionally be bolted thereto. The spreader can therefore be changed if desired; and PA1 A rear mounting bracket projecting rearwardly from the seed boot member and being integral therewith, the rear mounting bracket having at least one bolt hole so that a knife and nutrient tube boot assembly may be attached thereto and supported thereby. PA1 it is designed to be used with an edge-on shank, thereby reducing the trash accumulation problem; PA1 the bolt and nut assembly securing the sweep to the front bracket is not subjected to severe wear and can be disassembled with wrenches; PA1 the spreader, if used, can be changed; and PA1 a single part replaces what used to involve an assembly of parts, this structure being sturdier than the assembly of prior art parts.
A known alternative to the C-shaped shank is the edge-on shank. It has a vertical lower end and thus is less likely to induce trash accumulation.
The present invention is directed to providing a seed boot which is designed for use with an edge-on shank and which improves on the disassembly, sturdiness and spreader problems previously mentioned.